About Eric P. Wilkinson, MD Expertise I am a board-certified otolaryngologist with additional subspecialty training in otology, neurotology, and skull base surgery. This is the subspecialty of otolaryngology that involves the ear, hearing, balance organs, the facial nerve, and surgery of the skull base including surgery for acoustic neuroma and other benign and malignant tumors of the base of the skull.
Experience Medical school, residency in otolaryngology, fellowship in otology/neurotology/skull base surgery
Organizations American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery
North American Skull Base Society
American Neurotology Society
Publications Laryngoscope Otology and Neurotology
Education/Credentials MD Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, CA 2001
Otolaryngology Residency, University of Iowa Department of Otolaryngology, Iowa City, IA
Otology/Neurotology Fellowship, House Ear Clinic, Los Angeles, CA
Expert: Eric P. Wilkinson, MD Date: 11/8/2007 Subject: Meniere's or AN
Question My mother is 70yrs old. For the past year she has had recurrent episodes of tinnitus or veritgo. Most recently the attacks of vertigo have been weekly as opposed to monthly. In addition, she seems to complain frequently about her head feeling full or that she has headache/back of neck pain. Nov. 2006 she had a CT scan w/o contrast done in the ER which was negative. We are now looking at scheduling an MRI with contrast but realize what a challenge it will be for her. She is a difficult patient to say the least. She does not have facial involvement(i.e., spasms or tingling) nor does she have unsteadiness when not experiencing vertigo. Her attacks come on suddenly and resolve after about an hour of sitting still, dark room no noise, no talking. However, she is fatigued for about a day or more afterwards. She has loss of hearing, or as she puts it, can't make out what your saying in one ear and mild hearing loss in the other. She experienced several severe infections in two molars last winter just before the first attack and was extremely neglectful to her teeth prior to having several pulled this past May. For the attacks, she seems to get relief from Antivert. She is on high blood pressure meds and a diuretic and she is significantly overweight. She doesn't watch her salt or caffeine thinking they have nothing to do with it. She is a nonsmoker and does not drink. Please advise on what clinical manifestations would indicate AN. We are fairly convinced this is MD.
Answer She needs an MRI scan of the inner ear and brain with contrast, to make sure that she does not have an acoustic neuroma. If the MRI is negative, this may be Meniere's, but there are also a number of other vertigo conditions that can cause these symptoms. She should probably see an otologist (ear specialist) to make the diagnosis.
